La Carta de Oaxaca

Seattle’s first and foremost Oaxacan restaurant remains as popular as ever, winning Seattle’s collective heart with bolder, more adventurous offerings than your typical rice, pinto beans, and enchilada fare. Oaxaca is considered the birthplace of mole, and Carta de Oaxaca’s mole negro is indeed a thing of beauty. Get it in tamale form or as a plate with your choice of chicken or pork. The Ballard restaurant also has one of Seattle’s better mezcal selections (an obsession that spawned younger sibling Mezcaleria Oaxaca). TOBIAS COUGHLIN BOGUE